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Israel-Lebanon crisis: Lebanese ramp up humanitarian efforts
Amid Israeli strikes and limited public aid, Lebanese activists are jumping into action. However, observers point out that aid is being politicized, and there are too many in need.
Almost three weeks into Israel’s devastating strikes on Lebanon, civilians are increasingly taking the organization of humanitarian help into their own hands.
“I joined a local initiative, and we distribute donations between several shelters and schools,” Rayan Chaya told DW in Aley, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of Beirut.
The 27-year-old mechanical engineer has been setting up databases with places to rent and eat for free. He also organized a wheelchair for a family who had to leave theirs behind when they fled.
“We’re in a crisis, and if we don’t help each other, who will?” he said. “The government isn’t taking any serious action.”
Heiko Wimmen, Lebanon project director at the International Crisis Group, a non-governmental conflict prevention organization, confirms this view.
“The level of humanitarian support for the population is what you would expect from a country whose political structures do not really function,” he told DW.
Years of political instability in combination with an ongoing economic crisis have left Lebanon on the brink of collapse.
The dire situation was further exacerbated in late September when Israel escalated its attacks on Hezbollah, designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, including the US and Germany, while the EU classifies its armed wing as a terrorist group, after a year of limited fighting.
Israeli attacks have not only killed several leading Hezbollah members but also around 2,000 civilians, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry
© Daniel Carde/ZUMA/picture alliance
Since then, several Hezbollah leaders have been killed and more than 2,000 civilians have died in the Israeli attacks, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Some 608,000 people are currently internally displaced according to the latest update by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). According to Lebanese authorities, this number is twice as high.
House squatters on the rise
Meanwhile, the Lebanese government, which acts in a caretaker capacity, has set up 973 shelters in public institutions across the country. Yet, the available 180,000 places were quickly taken.
“The number of shelters doesn’t match the number of needed places and I fear that house squatters will increasingly take over both emptied apartments as well as uninhabited luxury flats,” Wimmen said.
According to a study by Beirut’s American University, around 31% of Beirut’s property has been bought for investment purposes.
Meanwhile, Lebanese who are affiliated in one way or the other with Hezbollah’s influential political wing are increasingly moving into these apartments.
“Some of the Hezbollah-affiliated parties such as the Amal [Movement] and the Syrian Socialist National Party [in Lebanon], who have been doing the dirty work on behalf of Hezbollah for years, have opened buildings for refugees,” Crisis Group’s Wimmen said.
The Washington Post reported earlier this week that a spokesman for the Lebanese police told their reporter that they would empty the buildings only when proper alternatives were found.
Volunteers work in a community kitchen to prepare meals for those who fled Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon
© ANWAR AMRO/AFP
Food, clothes, and a hug
Mosques, churches, bars and many private people do their best to help, Anna Fleischer, director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Middle East Office in Beirut, told DW.
“In my mosque, there is no space to host families but the number of worshippers has increased immensely and we provide food, medical services and relief,” Sheikh Mohammed Abu Zaid, imam of the largest mosque in Saida, 45 kilometers south of Beirut, told Ekwutosblog.
Sally Halawi, who owns the thrift shop “Circuit” in Beirut, has also decided to help refugees.
“I felt I had to do something to help,” she told DW. She donated everything in her shop to people who had left their homes and belongings behind. On Instagram, she called out for more donations.
“Lots of people responded,” Halawi recalls. Every morning, she assembles the donations according to gender and size. Every evening, donations are sent to the school-turned-shelters.
“So far, we have collected more than 30,000 items,” the 35-year-old said, adding that “as draining and hectic as this is, I believe this is the least I can do for my people, and I still feel it’s not enough.”
Humanitarian aid bridge
Meanwhile, international humanitarian aid for Lebanon’s population is picking up.
On Friday, the first of three flights with EU-owned stocks including hygiene items, blankets and emergency shelter kits is set to arrive in Beirut. France and other EU offices have also sent supplies.
Earlier this week, Health Minister Firas Abiad welcomed 40 tons of medical supplies from the United Arab Emirates.
And yet, observers stress that addressing the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon is also driven by political interests.
“Lebanon’s ruling elite is now trying to maintain its dominance by courting international donors as well as Western and Gulf Arab sponsors,” Lorenzo Trombetta, a Middle East analyst, told DW.
The first to promise humanitarian aid were Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, he added.
However, Qatar has been hosting the political Hamas elite for years and is one of the key negotiators for a cease-fire in Gaza.
“And Abu Dhabi supports the alliance with the United States and collaborates with Israel and its armed forces on high-tech technology, as well as continuing to send aid to Beirut,” Trombetta explained.
In his view, this is done to “exert greater political influence in Lebanon and strengthen its presence in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
He also fears that Lebanon’s political elite is about to deprioritize the needs of the population. “In the near future, the main focus will turn to the management of reconstruction funds,” Trombetta warned.
He considers it key to link reconstruction aid as well as the distribution of essential services and welfare exclusively to Lebanon’s civil population.
However, that aid effort appears to be stalling. The UN-led flash appeal for over $426 million (€389 million) for Lebanon’s civil society has so far received only $53 million.
Edited by: Rob Mudge
This morning, 2Baba posted “Help Me” on his Instagram stories, but less than 20 minutes later, the message vanished.
For the past few days, his relationship with his current wife, Senator Natasha Osawaru, has been under serious scrutiny, as a series of public incidents have surfaced and fuelled widespread speculation about the state of their marriage.
His cry for help should not be taken lightly. But who will answer him?
Will it be his family, his close friends, or the entertainment industry that has benefited from his legendary career?
At this point, one thing is clear. The music icon seems to be calling for real support and those around him cannot afford to look away.
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BREAKING: Unknown Gunmen Attack Gov. Otti’s Advance Team In Imo, As Scores Were Kidnapped From A Bus Along Owerri-Road Road
An advance team of Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, escaped unhurt after unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in the early hours of Tuesday, December 2, 2025, along the Umuowa–Ihite axis in Imo State.
The three-member team was en route to Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport, Owerri, when the attack occurred shortly before the airport junction.
In a statement electronically signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Ukoha Njoku Ukoha, the Abia Government clarified that Governor Otti’s main convoy was not involved in the incident and was nowhere near the location at the time.
“The convoy of His Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, was not attacked. No member of the advance team or any other person sustained injury, and no life was lost,” the statement stressed, urging the public to disregard rumours suggesting otherwise.
It was learned that Security agencies have been notified, and investigations are underway to identify and apprehend the assailants.
Meanwhile, a commercial bus plying along Owerri -Aba road towards the Ngor Okpala axis was attacked Monday and scores of passengers were feared kidnapped by yet-to-identify gunmen.
The convoy of former Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, was attacked by gunmen in Umuoji, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Ngige who confirmed the incident to newsmen, stated that he was not in the convoy when the attack occurred. He mentioned that several people were shot and injured.
“I was not in the convoy. I’m still alive and well. Those hoodlums have started again. I came to my state to relax, but what happened is unfortunate. I will go back to Abuja. But I assure those who did this, they will not go unpunished.” he said
The vehicles were reportedly returning from a mechanic workshop in Nkpor when the gunmen struck along the busy Umuoji–Nkpor Road leading to Alor, Ngige’s hometown.
According to Mr. Fred Chukwulobelu, Ngige’s former Special Adviser on Media, a policeman in the pilot car was shot, and the attackers, dressed in police and army uniforms, took away his gun and uniform.
He also confirmed that a woman filming the incident was fatally shot. He added that a shop owner who rushed out to see what was happening was also shot; he lost significant blood and is scheduled for surgery, but is expected to recover fully.
The pilot car was riddled with bullets, while the wounded escort leader has undergone surgery and is also expected to recover.
Meanwhile, the Anambra State Police Command said it has launched a state-wide manhunt for the perpetrators.
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